I don't know when the last time we've seen Kevin Costner get misty-eyed like this. The Yellowstone actor recently premiered his new directorial film Horizon: An American Saga at Cannes Film Festival. By the end of the movie, the crowd gives a standing ovation
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I can definitely imagine how much the reaction means to Costner who seriously bet on himself with this Western. Horizon: An American Saga has been in the works for over 35 years, Co-writing, directing, and central lead to the film, the Bull Durham star has a lot invested in this. Horizon was slated to be funded and distributed by Disney but they weren't together on the budget and Costner wasn't budging. When he revisited the idea in 2012, he turned his one script into 4.
Costner is more than aware of the absurdity of it all. He knows that if he struggled to get the one film done, he can't expect anyone in Hollywood to invest in a 4 movie epic. So he did it himself.
He states numerous times during the press run about his personal $38 million investment into the completion of Horizon. With his own money put into the picture and the various setbacks along the way, it's understandable why the Cannes reaction warmed his heart. However, not everyone shares his passion for the project.
Fans Call Kevin Costner A 'Legend'
One fan wrote, "Kevin Costner is a legend in acting and filmmaking." Another wrote, "Something about him I have always liked. He has a certain integrity on screen, a decency. It feels authentic." Another wrote, "Kevin Costner sold his homes and paid $98 million of his own money to get this series made. This is a true passion project. I can't wait to watch!"
However, not everyone is a fan. One Instagram comment introduces a measure of skepticism that looms large over the film in general. The user says, "Every movie in Cannes gets a standing ovation. Nothing to see here lol. Meanwhile, film is getting slammed by the critics."
There is a measure of truth to this. Those who go to Cannes are already the most devout fans of film you can imagine. In part, they are more inclined to be immensely generous to a film than your locals at the AMC. Include the narrative background that informs how the audience might perceive the film, it could definitely be argued that the moviegoers could've been extra sympathetic.
At least initially, there are plenty of critics crushing the film as well. Nicholas Barber of the BBC drags the film, stating, "The most obvious problem with Horizon, then, is that the strands aren't tied together, but even taken individually, each section is dull and plodding, and full of stultifyingly slow dialogue scenes that spell out the issues but do nothing to establish the characters as human beings."
It's only a matter of time to see if fan reception aids a reevaluation for first of four films. But I can never fault Costner for betting on himself.
